Now that I've finally gotten a chance to settle in, sleep, and explore a bit, I figured I would share some observations I have made so far about Danish lifestyle and culture.
• Bikes are EVERYWHERE. There are separate bike lanes on the roads, bike slots on the metros, and ramps on the side of most staircases. About one third of commuters in Copenhagen travel by bike, and even on frigid days with horizontal rain and 45 mph winds (which I was lucky enough to experience on Saturday!) you will still see masses of bikers out.
• The city is very safe. While every city has some level of crime, Copenhagen's is extremely low. It is safe for women to travel alone, even at night. And I think the thing that has shocked me the most is that women quite often leave their babies in their strollers outside of stores when they shop. I can think of very few places where it would be safe or socially acceptable to leave a child completely unaccompanied on a city street, but I guess that's the norm here. It's very nice to feel so safe though, even in a busy and unfamiliar place.
Exhibit A
• Handball is a huge deal. While I always thought of handball as a funny game to play in PE or an easy warm-up at soccer practice, it is no joke here. Denmark beat Croatia in the HandballEuro Championship on Sunday and the city went wild. There was a huge celebration in one of the main squares to welcome the team back and all of the streets were shut down. One Dane told me it was the greatest day of his life, and I don't think he was kidding.
• Although they don't see themselves this way, Danes are pretty rude by American standards. They don't have a specific word for 'excuse me' and it is very typical to be completely run over or bumped into on the bus without receiving even an apologetic look. This is one characteristic of life here I hope does not rub off on me!
• Red actually means don't go. In America jaywalking is very common, but in Denmark it really is unacceptable. Not only can you receive a fine of around 600 kroner ($120), but you receive dirty looks too. Equality is a huge thing here and if you cross the street when you don't have the green walking sign, you come off as rude (ironic, I know) and above the law.
• Denmark is incredibly environmentally-friendly. Only about one third of commuters travel by car, you have to pay for plastic bags at the grocery store, you receive money for returning empty bottles and cans, there are two types of buttons on toilets to conserve water flow, and tons of other things I probably haven't even registered yet. We are constantly being told that Denmark is a world leader in environmental issues and this mindset is reinforced in lots of the material I have learned in class so far.
• While Danish is the language spoken here, the busses and restaurants all play American pop music. I've been told by some Danish people that lots of them, mostly older ones, don't really understand the lyrics but enjoy them and sing along regardless. The other night a bar had a middle-aged man singing Britney Spears and everybody was singing along (or at least yelling similar sounds) and dancing; I must say it was a bit strange.
• Although we had been told constantly during orientation and prior to arriving in Denmark that Danes are not very outgoing people and keep to themselves and small groups of friends, I haven't really experienced that yet. I have spoken with many locals, whether it be out at night or getting lost (which even though I said last time wouldn't happen again, I was wrong), everybody has been extremely helpful and friendly. While it may be up to us to put ourselves in a position to interact with them, once you get there it seems very easy to socialize.
• Sunday really is a day of rest. Nearly every store closes early on Saturday and stays closed for the rest of the weekend. Not convenient when you need to go grocery shopping for dinner and don't realize that nowhere will be open, but I guess that's what my stash of Cheerios is for.
I have obviously noticed many other things since arriving here just over a week ago, but I'll stop there for now and give a quick recap of a few things I've been up to. Friday night DIS hosted a welcome party for the 500 or so students in my program. It was at a local club and was a really great way to meet lots of people and celebrate our first week here. DIS has done a really great job helping us get acquainted to the city and one another, and they seem very organized in everything they do. I must say I'm impressed and would really recommend them to anybody who is shopping around for abroad programs.
Over the weekend I got a chance to tour two castles, Rosenborg and Frederiksborg, both of which were home to Christian IV, one of Denmark's most famous kings. While Rosenborg was pretty, we visited on one of the most miserable weather days I have ever experienced, and most of the rooms were closed off for renovation. Frederiksborg, however, was amazing. We took a scenic bus drive that allowed us to see parts of Denmark outside of Copenhagen, and got a beautiful view of the coastline and Sweden. The castle and grounds were gorgeous, but I'll let you check out the pictures below to see for yourself.
The church inside the castle
View from one of the windows
A very ornate ceiling
I have always been really active and between the fact that gym memberships here are pretty expensive and I love sports, I joined a soccer team for which I had my first practice last night. I am playing on a local competitive team that consists of both Danish students and a few Americans. At one point I was in a drill with only Danes and while I couldn't understand a word of what they were saying, I think with time it will be a really good way to meet more people. The practices are a bit of a trek and between the commute and the practice it took me four hours! We only practice twice a week and have games once a week, so it's a commitment I'm definitely willing to make and it should be a lot of fun.
Classes have also gotten underway and I am still a bit overwhelmed at the amount of work I have. I knew going into this that this was a pretty academically rigorous program, but it is still taking me a little while to get back into the school mode. I'll wait until next time to talk about my classes though, so that's all for now!